Reviews of Polo Crest

Best Ralph Lauren Polo fragrance ever. Better than the original Green IMO. Too bad it was discontinued long ago and can't be found at a reasonable price. I guess someone somewhere buys and wears Polo Red. Nobody I know, though.

Hesperidic tones in the opening mix with green notes and later in the drydown a quite refined patchouli. At times with a floral hint, it has a mild, pleasant underlying sweetness. The base note is dominated by a gentle oakmoss, and this is my impression of this fragrance: restrained and not at all bumptious. After the first hour the projection recedes rapidly, and it remains close to my skin. Given this, I had little hope as far as longevity is concerned, but I was proven wrong: it is, albeit weakly, detectable for over five hours. As far as Polos go, an interesting one.

Polo Crest is a dry wood child of the magisterial Polo Green. Crest opens with a citrus, herbal mix that is not as sharp as Polo Green. Basil, juniper, and caraway are front and center in Crest. The distinctive pine note of Polo Green only peeks around the corner in Crest. The heart notes in Crest are floral, which lead directly to the oakmoss and patchouli base notes, with a dash of leather, amber and cedar. Crest is a refined fragrance that can be worn in many occasions. Longevity is excellent and projection is admirable. These are the fragrances my nose pines for, masculine, self-assured, somewhat edgy by today's watery standards. Even if you despise Polo Green, I recommend you give Crest a try. In the case of Polo Green and Crest, the child is much better behaved than the rambunctious father.

I have had a bottle of this in my collection for nearly 20 years but only today whipped it out of the cupboard to see how it has held up.

Polo Crest opens with a very green and herbal mixture with just the faintest hint of lemon that more than passingly resembles its more famous and successful classic sibling, original Polo. Crest is definitely smoother than original Polo and does not have the strength of its sibling. That said, it features a beautiful oakmoss in its heart that is near impossible to replicate with today's regulations on the ingredient. Crest appears to be missing most of the birch tar note that original Polo features prominently in its base notes, adding a larger dose of patchouli instead, though not so much that it turns overly sweet. Longevity and projection are both regrettably average to below average.

Let's face it, original Polo is by far the best the line has ever had to offer, Crest included. That said, out of all the various "other" releases from Ralph Lauren over the years I think Crest may be the next best in the line (or was, as it has long-since been discontinued). It is missing the potency and spunk of original Polo, but it distinguishes itself in its smoothness, class and sophistication, while never forgetting its classic roots. I prefer the raw masculinity and power of the original and reach for that one, but those looking for a smoother alternative that retains a lot of the original Polo's best qualities could do much worse than Polo Crest. I'll give Crest a well-deserved "very good" rating of 3.5 to 4 out of 5 stars.

I like this scent very much. It is classy and very satisfying to wear, and attractive in all its phases. The opening has an appealing herbal-lemon chord. Quickly some nice spices appear (not too heavy). The scent is not sweet nor is it heavy. The dry-down becomes mossy and this works well with the dry spice notes. I don't get any coniferous notes here, just herbal ones. Very well done.